Targeted LEDs could provide efficient lighting for plants grown in space

A Purdue University study shows that targeting plants with red and blue LEDs provides energy-efficient lighting in contained environments, a finding that could advance the development of crop-growth modules for space exploration.

Research led by Cary Mitchell, professor of horticulture, and then-master's student Lucie Poulet found that leaf lettuce thrived under a 95-to-5 ratio of red and blue light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, placed close to the plant canopy. The targeted LED lighting used about 90 percent less electrical power per growing area than traditional lighting and an additional 50 percent less energy than full-coverage LED lighting.

The study suggests that this model could be a valuable component of controlled-environment agriculture and vertical farming systems in space and on Earth, Mitchell said.

"Everything on Earth is ultimately driven by sunlight and photosynthesis," he said. "The question is how we can replicate that in space. If you have to generate your own light with limited energy resources, targeted LED lighting is your best option. We're no longer stuck in the era of high-power lighting and large, hot, fragile lamps."

One of the major obstacles to long-duration space exploration is the need for a bioregenerative life-support system - an artificial, self-contained ecosystem that mimics Earth's biosphere. A round-trip voyage to Mars for a crew of six, for example, could take about 1,000 days and would require more food, water and oxygen than current space vehicles can carry. Developing a module for efficiently growing crops would allow a space crew to grow food on long voyages and on the moon or Mars, said Poulet, now a doctoral student at Blaise Pascal University in France.

"If we can design a more energy-efficient system, we can grow vegetables for consumption for longer space travel," she said. "I can imagine a greenhouse on the moon."

The main challenge to creating a crop-growth module for space travel has been the staggering energy cost of the 600- to 1,000-watt conventional high-pressure sodium lamps traditionally used to mimic sunlight and stimulate plant photosynthesis in contained environments. The lamps also scorch plants if placed too close and require a filtration system to absorb the excess heat they create.